That was Great.

I feel sad that 2011 is over. I had a pretty fantastic year, I'm almost inclined to say it was best year ever quality. While saying that, I'm also conscious that 2012 has the potential of being even better. But I also feel this little tug of nervousness that it wont be quite so wonderful. So what made 2011 so freaking great? If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you'll know the answer.... It was the little things! There were a lot of big things as well, but the big things don't get you through the day-to-day grind. This past year I made an effort to be happier. Each year my resolutions become more intense (2010's Resolutions, 2011's Resolutions) and I seem to demand more from myself. Yes, I'll agree that setting a goal to read 100 books is VERY demanding, but it is really only demanding on your time. It didn't get me out of my comfort zone. This past year I made the effort to push myself into being a better me, closer to the person I strive to be. So how did I do???? How about a recap of my resolutions from 2011?!

#1: Give more

I think toward the middle of the year I realized what this resolution really was about. I began calling it my 'Give to get resolution.' What that means is that I realized when you give (your time, your money, your love, your friendship, etc) even if you don't mean to, you ALWAYS get something back.

The biggest part of this resolution was to show the people that I love how much they mean to me. Although I know I could have done more, I feel like this was a successful resolution. I've never felt closer to my friends and family.

The other part of this resolution was just about being a better person. Volunteering, eating locally, using my car less, growing my own food.... just being less selfish. Its true that I could have done more but that is always true, but the goal is in the journey....I'm making progress.

#2: Read with meaning

What a difference a year can make. Yes I still read a lot of books this year, way more than the average American, but I'm not sure how much meaning I read with. I'd be more comfortable calling this resolution, 'Reading with random.' Because that is exactly the word that runs through my head when I look over my list of books from this past year. I was definitely a different reader this year, picking up books I never would have in the past.... non-fiction especially. All in all I'm kind of disappointed in myself, there are only a handful of books on this list that I actually loved.

#3: Take more photos and learn more about photography

I took approximately 6,000 photos this year. Seriously. No Joke. That seems like a ton doesn't it? Well it actually is only about 1,000 more than than I took in 2010. So YAY! Success! I took more photos! But considering I also found a new love of excessive food photography I probably took just about the same amount of meaningful photos... but you all loved the food shots right? So this is still a win.

#4: Run a half-marathon

The clearest of all my resolutions. Double check success! Not only did I do it... I did it twice. This may have been #4 on my list, but this was The Resolution for the year. The goal. If I only completed one thing this year it had to be a half-marathon.

#5: Eat clean

If I were to let myself off the hook I would say I ate cleaner.... I had some serious ups and downs with this resolution, isn't that always the case when it comes to food? Most of the year I made good choices and probably ate healthier that the average 25 year old, but I could have done better. I still drink diet soda too often and sweets are still my kryptonite, but I'm more informed than ever about what choices I should be making when it comes to food. In the future I hope to not only make eating clean a priority but also looking at food as fuel.

So those were last years resolutions, but just because the 365 days of 2011 are over doesn't mean I'm just going to stop giving more, taking more photographs, reading with meaning or eating clean. The whole point of making a resolution for me is to make them a part of my life, something I don't have to consciously think about. It may take all year (or more) but I want these things to just be who I am.